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FASHIONHere’s How to Keep Your White Jeans Looking Perfect ForeverAUGUST 10, 2015 6:35 PMby TRACE BARNHILLEMAIL white jeansPhoto: Courtesy of Industry StandardWhite denim’s great—it’s light, it’s seasonless, and it instantly elevates any ensemble with its minimalist gleam. The perfect pair of slim white jeans can take you anywhere, and do it chicly. The only downside? White denim will also show you everywhere it’s been.Toward the end of the day, your white denim provides a clearer account of your itinerary than your Google Calendar—there’s a slosh of coffee from bumping through a crowded morning café, a smear of aioli dropped from an overloaded truffle fry at lunch, a ring of muddy water around the leg opening from misjudging a puddle on your way out, and a rear that’s just a little bit dingy from sitting in three different taxis that day. It can be frustrating, embarrassing, and almost enough to switch back to all-black everything. Don’t you do it! We’ve got just the thing.We spoke with a bona fide white-denim whisperer, Nicole Najafi, the designer behind the dreamy jeans at Industry Standard, about how to absolve your soiled denim of its sins. Curiously, Occam’s razor doesn’t apply to white denim—the obvious solution “just throw it in the wash” has a downside. “As with most of the fabrics in your closet, you should try to avoid washing and drying denim,” Najafi told us over the phone. “The more you wash it, the more it fades, and the more the fabric degrades.” It’s a surprising take, especially with denim’s rough-and-tough history, but “cotton’s a very sensitive and delicate fabric,” she says, “because it’s very porous.” Plus, washing neutralizes all that work you’ve done breaking in your jeans just so. “With skinnies, they stretch in the right place, molding to your body.” Wash and dry on high heat, she cautions, and “you lose all the work you’ve done personalizing them. Plus, you’ll have to replace them sooner.”
So how to keep your whites gleaming without the constant swirl of the rinse cycle? Najafi advises on a few timely tips on cleanup. Since time is of the essence with stains, and since you don’t always have unlimited time or resources to devote, here’s a breakdown of how to triage your little accidents—what exactly to do when, according to the expert.
Five minutes
Blot the stain gently with warm water—seltzer if it’s on hand. Don’t rub or press too hard—this will just drive the stain in further. Use a white cloth so you won’t accidentally transfer dye into your jeans. Depending on the severity of the stain, make plans to get home quickly, or to a place where you can change out of your pants to give them a little TLC. “Most importantly,” says Najafi, “relax! You’ll be home soon enough and can take care of the stain properly then.”
One hour
Turn your jeans inside out and run water over the stain, “essentially pushing it out from the direction it came in,” explains Najafi. “Denim is porous, so the stain will drip out the other end.” Then she recommends applying a spot cleaner to the affected area, preferably one with natural ingredients like the Wash & Stain Bar from The Laundress—“It’s gentle on denim, but gets the job done.” Wet the bar and gently work it into the stained area, rinsing with warm water and repeating if necessary. Hang your jeans to dry.
Overnight
If what you’ve done above has successfully banished the stain, and you just want to freshen up your jeans, Najafi suggests keeping them hanging up in the shower, and letting the hot water run—the steam tightens them right up.
If the stain needs more comprehensive care, take the plunge and do a laundry load. Use cold water if the stain’s not so bad and warm water if it is. Never use fabric softener or bleach on white denim—“denim’s kryptonite,” as Najafi calls it, leaves you with a yellow tinge and a degraded fabric. She’s a fan of The Laundress’s All-Purpose Bleach Alternative. And just skip the dryer altogether. According to Najafi, hanging dry is the only way to dry. “I pretty much hang everything.”
So go ahead and eat, drink, be merry: Here’s to taking your summer whites to winter whites, while keeping them bright and gleaming the whole season through.
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